Event
Recorder
What is an Event Recorder?
 An
event recorder is a recording device used to record the heart
rhythm. It is similar to an EKG. You can wear the recorder
over a period of 14 days to 30 days, while you go about your
usual daily activities. When you feel symptoms, you press
a record button and the event monitor records and stores up
to five events of your heart's electrical activity. The event
recorder is about the size of a pager. You can clip it to
a belt, your pants, or place it in your pocket. Two electrodes
(sticky patches) are worn on your chest. A wire attaches the
electrodes to the event recorder. The event recorder is worn
day and night, and continuously scans your heart's electrical
activity.
How do I prepare for the procedure?
There is no special preparation for event monitoring. You
may eat and go about your normal activities, unless you are
told otherwise. Make sure you wear a two-piece outfit to make
the event recorder easier to hook up.
What is an Event Recorder used for?
If you have been having recurrent symptoms, such as dizziness,
chest pain, palpitation, or fainting spells, the doctor will
use an event recorder to help determine if these symptoms
are caused by an arrhythmia.
During an arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), the heart
will either beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly. Doctors
can diagnose an arrhythmia by obtaining an EKG, a recording
of the heart's electrical activity. Quite often, an arrhythmia
will not occur in a brief period of actual recording like
when you are getting an EKG at your doctor's office. If your
doctor suspects you have an arrhythmia, he or she will want
to record the EKG when you are having symptoms.
If your symptoms are infrequent, you may require the use
of an event recorder to catch your EKG during your symptoms.
What happens during the hook up and recording period?
A technician or a nurse will show you how to use the event
recorder. You will either wear the event recorder for 14 days
to 30 days depending on your doctor's order. The event recorder
is worn day and night. Every day you will remove the two patches
from your chest, cleanse a new section of skin with alcohol,
and apply two new patches. When you snap the wires back on
to the patches, make sure they are connected well. Every week
you will change the recorder's batteries. You will be given
enough electrodes, alcohol wipes and batteries for your recording
period.
When you experience symptoms, you push the record button.
The event recorder records and stores 1 minute of EKG data
before, during, and after an event. You can push the record
button up to 5 times before the monitor needs to be "downloaded."
When you see the "F" on the event recorder window,
it means the monitor is full and needs to be downloaded. You
can download the stored data over the telephone to our department.
To download the data over the telephone, call our department
at 364-3922 between 7:00am and 5:00pm Monday to Friday and
between 7:00am and 3:00pm on the weekends. When you talk to
a live technician or nurse, you will be instructed to unplug
the wires, press the "send" button on the recorder
and place the mouthpiece of the telephone over the recorder.
The stored EKG data is transmitted automatically to an EKG
machine. It takes about 5 minutes to download your event recorder.
When the event recorder is done downloading, you will be
asked to list your symptoms, activities, the date and time
for each event. The event recorder is re-activated by plugging
the wires back into the recorder.
If you experience distressing symptoms such as chest pain,
dizziness or severe palpitations, you should record the event,
then immediately call your doctor's office or go to the emergency
room.
You will keep a diary during the period you carry the recorder.
It allows the doctor to correlate your symptoms with the EKG
recordings. The information you will need to enter in the
diary includes the following:
- Date and time of each event
- Symptoms such as palpitations,
dizziness, fainting spells, shortness of breath, chest pain,
etc.
- What activities you were doing at the time--exercise,
sleeping, emotionally upset, shopping, working, driving, etc.
What happens after the recording period?
Once the 14 to 30 day recording period has ended, you will
return the event recorder and diary to the main hospital information
desk. The tech or nurse will pick up the recorder and diary
and give the EKG strips to the doctor to interpret. The information
gained from the event recorder data will help your doctor
make an accurate diagnosis and develop a treatment plan that
is best for you.
Where is the test performed?
On the second floor of Sparrow Hospital in the cardiology
department Heart Center
How long does this test take?
Instructions and set up take about 15 to 30 minutes to complete.
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